HOW TO: 5th Wheel/Gooseneck Tail gate
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HOW TO: 5th Wheel/Gooseneck Tail gate
Not sure if this is the rigth place to post this so if it isn't correct please move it. I built this this weekend for my truck =) I'm digging it.
Ok, so there I was, minding my own business, when all of a sudden...
Yea anyway here is the story. About 8 months ago I really wanted a 5th wheel tail gate. So when I was at my buddy's shop he said he would give me some cash for my tail gate and give me a beat up old one. Me thinking, sure that will give me and excuss to buy the tail gate that I wanted said sure. Yes my wife wasn't happy btw. So we exchanged and then I went looking for the tail gate I wanted. HOLLY COW I DIDN"T KNOW I HAD TO SELL A KIDNEY TO BUY ONE!!! The ones I looked at where between $500 and $850.
Well, I guess I will use this tail gate for a little while....
8 Months later I still have the same tail gate. Ok so enough is enough lets get down to business. My main goal was to build a new tailgate that I could use all my stock hardware so I did'nt have to invent the wheel... again...
So I started drawing it out in CAD and doing test pieces. Yes it took me a little time to build this because it was all "as I went." I think total I have 20 hours in this thing. Anyway here are some pictures.
Once I got all the parts cut out and exactly the way I wanted them I could start to box them in and put the hardware in.
I also turned down the pocket for the bushings as you can see here.
I wanted to use all factory hardware so if I did get a stock tailgate I didn't have to make any wierd changes to the truck and if I did sell these as a DIY kit no one else had to do anything wierd either.
Ok so next I started bending up tube and setting it in place.
Once that was done I called it a night and took it home to get wifes ok on the design. I got up early this morning, 11:00 am hehe, and started again. I turned down 14 1/2" solid cold rolled steel rods. I wanted some design in them so this is what I came up with.
My origanl plain was to paint them but keep the tips bar metal and clear coat them. But later changed my mind because my luck they would rust under the clear. Next I cut out 4 pieces to keep the spikes in line and welded them in. I forgot to get a picture of that but its the vertical line in the picture that is holding the spikes in place.
So once I got everything welded up I took some pictures to show what it looks like as of right now. The latch is going to be latch driven but I waited to late to go get some stainless wire so these ugly and heck rods are going to have to do until I can get back at it.
So then my wife and I pulled the bumper off, which by the way works exactly like the factory, so we can paint it. Bumper will be all black and the tips will have the chrome look to them. I know getto but I was affraid it would rust.
Another problem I had was that I could turn down the little pully's in steel but they would rust and look ugly as well. So I did a quick test run on some stainless steel and put a track in it. There will be three per section so it will look like OoO and the line will run between them and not jump off track. Here is a picture just to show the scale of them and how small they are going to be. I am not 100% sure when I will have time to get back to this project so it may take me awhile to update.
This project was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed doing it. It actually made me feel really proud of my dually again which is great to, maybe I'll wash it now =).
The only thing I would do different next time is put an access panel in the back which I don't have but since I have the tools to do it I can at any time but I went ahead changed the CAD file to account for this. Ok I'm tired I'm going to bed =).
Ok, so there I was, minding my own business, when all of a sudden...
Yea anyway here is the story. About 8 months ago I really wanted a 5th wheel tail gate. So when I was at my buddy's shop he said he would give me some cash for my tail gate and give me a beat up old one. Me thinking, sure that will give me and excuss to buy the tail gate that I wanted said sure. Yes my wife wasn't happy btw. So we exchanged and then I went looking for the tail gate I wanted. HOLLY COW I DIDN"T KNOW I HAD TO SELL A KIDNEY TO BUY ONE!!! The ones I looked at where between $500 and $850.
Well, I guess I will use this tail gate for a little while....
8 Months later I still have the same tail gate. Ok so enough is enough lets get down to business. My main goal was to build a new tailgate that I could use all my stock hardware so I did'nt have to invent the wheel... again...
So I started drawing it out in CAD and doing test pieces. Yes it took me a little time to build this because it was all "as I went." I think total I have 20 hours in this thing. Anyway here are some pictures.
Once I got all the parts cut out and exactly the way I wanted them I could start to box them in and put the hardware in.
I also turned down the pocket for the bushings as you can see here.
I wanted to use all factory hardware so if I did get a stock tailgate I didn't have to make any wierd changes to the truck and if I did sell these as a DIY kit no one else had to do anything wierd either.
Ok so next I started bending up tube and setting it in place.
Once that was done I called it a night and took it home to get wifes ok on the design. I got up early this morning, 11:00 am hehe, and started again. I turned down 14 1/2" solid cold rolled steel rods. I wanted some design in them so this is what I came up with.
My origanl plain was to paint them but keep the tips bar metal and clear coat them. But later changed my mind because my luck they would rust under the clear. Next I cut out 4 pieces to keep the spikes in line and welded them in. I forgot to get a picture of that but its the vertical line in the picture that is holding the spikes in place.
So once I got everything welded up I took some pictures to show what it looks like as of right now. The latch is going to be latch driven but I waited to late to go get some stainless wire so these ugly and heck rods are going to have to do until I can get back at it.
So then my wife and I pulled the bumper off, which by the way works exactly like the factory, so we can paint it. Bumper will be all black and the tips will have the chrome look to them. I know getto but I was affraid it would rust.
Another problem I had was that I could turn down the little pully's in steel but they would rust and look ugly as well. So I did a quick test run on some stainless steel and put a track in it. There will be three per section so it will look like OoO and the line will run between them and not jump off track. Here is a picture just to show the scale of them and how small they are going to be. I am not 100% sure when I will have time to get back to this project so it may take me awhile to update.
This project was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed doing it. It actually made me feel really proud of my dually again which is great to, maybe I'll wash it now =).
The only thing I would do different next time is put an access panel in the back which I don't have but since I have the tools to do it I can at any time but I went ahead changed the CAD file to account for this. Ok I'm tired I'm going to bed =).
Muted one day, Banned the next....... Ah the life of a DTR 1%'er
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 2,187
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From: Ohio: Home of the disappointing sports teams
Welcome to the crushed tailgate club. I dropped the 5ver on mine last year and decided to leave it on. Mine wasn't as bad as yours.
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